Prehistoric Woolly Mammoth Ivory (Mammuthus primigenius)
Aged between 10,000 and 200,000 years, found in Arctic regions like Alaska, Canada, Chukotka, Yakutia, Magadan, and Siberia. Displays unique Schreger lines, hues from cream to chocolate brown, with occasional blue or green tones from Vivianite mineral. These mammoth ivory tusks are unearthed through various methods including placer mining, spring floods, aerial spotting, and subsistence hunting. All Veni Vidi Vici Fossils mammoth ivory is ethically sourced in compliance with federal and state regulations.
Caring for Your Ivory
Genuine prehistoric woolly mammoth ivory and fossil ivories can endure with proper care. Avoid contact with water, liquids, and harsh detergents. Refrain from submerging in cleaning solutions, and remove when washing hands or swimming. Steer clear of extreme temperature and humidity conditions. To clean, apply a small amount of unscented mineral oil, then buff dry with a clean white cloth.
Fossil Woolly Mammoth Bone and Molar
These relics belonged to the prehistoric woolly mammoth, which roamed the Earth tens of thousands of years ago. Some theories suggest they succumbed to climate shifts in great ice ages, naturally entombing their skeletons in frozen earth. Unearthed in various ways – by gold miners, during road construction, spotted by bush pilots, or discovered by wilderness explorers. Regardless of discovery, all Veni Vidi Vici Fossils bones and molars adhere to federal and state regulations. The hues of tan, brown, and blue stem from millennia of mineralization, influenced by surrounding soil deposits. Each processed bone or molar boasts a one-of-a-kind character, impossible to replicate.
Woolly mammoths were herbivores, using their teeth for grinding grasses, tree matter, and vegetation. They had four molars; two on the upper jaw and two on the lower. As each set wore down, a new set replaced it, potentially up to six times in a lifetime.
Distinguishing Mammoth from Elephant Ivory
Veni Vidi Vici Fossils exclusively uses prehistoric woolly mammoth ivory. Mammoth and elephant ivory originate from modified upper incisors of Proboscidea members. Mammoths have been extinct for 10,000 years, offering well-preserved tusks in Alaska and Siberia. This distinctiveness ensures high-quality, carvable ivory.
African elephant tusks can reach 3.5 meters, with enamel only on young animals, soon wearing off. Proboscidean tusks exhibit rounded or oval cross-sections, with dentine comprising 95%, sometimes showing concentric bands. Cementum, thicker in extinct genera, covers the outer tusk, sometimes in layers.
Polished cross-sections reveal Schreger lines, categorized as outer and inner. Schreger angles, either concave or convex, are acute in extinct and obtuse in extant proboscideans. A photocopy method captures these angles, and marking and measuring are done for analysis.
Single angle measurements between 90 and 115 degrees should not solely differentiate mammoth from elephant ivory. Averaging angles offers clarity, distinguishing extinct from extant proboscideans. Elephant samples consistently average above 100 degrees, while extinct proboscideans fall below.
Vivianite-induced blemishes are unique to mammoth ivory. Elephant ivory lacks these discolorations. Notably, UV light accentuates vivianite markings, appearing purple, a feature absent in elephant ivory, providing an additional means of identification.